As my goal right now centers around Oly, the FS fit the bill as a foundational movement. I am seriously considering keeping the AMRAP front squat sets for the "5" and "3" weeks at simply 5 and 3, respectively...and then going all-out on the 5/3/1 week (I typically get 2 or 3 that day).

With my long torso, my FS are currently only 20# less than my BS.

I simply thrive on the 5/3/1 routine. Maybe it's just the way my brain wraps around it--or should I say *doesn't* have to wrap around it.

In that case you would be doing a 5x5 ascending (assuming you warm up), a 5x3 ascending, and a heavy double or triple. No problem there.

What rep ranges do you guys think is best for assistance work on squat and dead days? I was considering 10 sets of 3 or 5 sets of 3 for squats.

all of them. which is to say, it depends. where are you weak?

i like 8x3 pause squats because i need more stability at the bottom. i like sets of 10 for GMs. for DL I like sets of 5-8 on RDL's and more recently sets of 5 on narrow sumo DL. for everything else i like sets of 8-15 on DB and t bar rows, sets of 20 on hyper extensions with a band, leg curls with a band, hammer row and cable row machines

if you can do 10x3 with a decent weight, you're not going hard enough on your AMRAP top set of of squats, you're making a low volume relatively high intensity program into a volume program. it's not to say it can't work but you're mixing things that don't go. if you were doing say 10x3 light and snappy with a different kind of squat (say fronts) that might work better.

if you just need more work in the squat, why not do that? the 5 sets of 10 will groove the heck out of your squat with a tolerable weight.

the weakness for a lot of people with 531 is frequency, not volume. a lot of people just need more practice. you might have better luck, switching up to hit your squat assistance after your DL, i'd still not go as heavy as 10 sets of 3 but maybe 5x5 with a totally gettable weight, OR, try warming up every training day with a squat to a medium heavy single (80-85%) and make no other changes to the template. the goal should be to not compromise the good things about 531: all out sets, frequent rep PR's and good recovery between sessions.

Ok yea, its not that I'm not going hard enough I'm coming off a bad recovery cycle and I want to hit my weaknesses the right way this time, I will definitely work squats into deadlift days but at 5x10 that means I should really go them at 40-60% right ? I need to also work in overhead squats on my squat day but I was going to do these before my squats at 3x5. That's for oly reasons its the only lift Besodes the squat that I need to work more.

Ok yea, its not that I'm not going hard enough I'm coming off a bad recovery cycle and I want to hit my weaknesses the right way this time, I will definitely work squats into deadlift days but at 5x10 that means I should really go them at 40-60% right ? I need to also work in overhead squats on my squat day but I was going to do these before my squats at 3x5. That's for oly reasons its the only lift Besodes the squat that I need to work more.

well that's just one idea that i've toyed with. the percents on the 5x10 or 10x5 squats are not really important, the goal is to finish them if that requires 30% of max do that.

i would really seriously consider what drives your main lift. what exactly is holding you back? it could be technique that's lacking , it could be bottom position weakness it could be stance, it could be hamstrings ........if overhead squats make really do make YOU a better squatter then by all means...but you totally need to know why a certain movement is there and believe that it will drive your lift. that and getting the work in on your main lifts are the big takeaway lessons of the book. i think if you focus very critically on "what" you should do for assistance, you'll figure out the how, pretty quickly.

well that's just one idea that i've toyed with. the percents on the 5x10 or 10x5 squats are not really important, the goal is to finish them if that requires 30% of max do that.

i would really seriously consider what drives your main lift? what exactly is holding you back it could be technique that's lacking , it could be bottom position weakness it could be stance, it could be hamstrings ........if overhead squats make veally do YOU a better squatter than by all means but you totally need to know why a certain movement is there and believe that it will drive your lift. that and getting the work in on your main lifts are the big takeaway lessons of the book. i think if you focus very critically on "what" you should do for assistance, you'll figure out the how, pretty quickly.

Gotcha

That's why I'm adding in overhead squats: it drove up my snatch
I'm thinking just that, more squats will drive up the squats just want to go about it the right way, if thats the case then I'll stick with 5x10 but use lower percentages
Good mornings have also really improved my squats this year